A Midi Dance Party 360° by SBF-Visa is one of the headline attractions at Iceland’s newest and brightest family

entertainment centre (FEC)

FEC owners Ingibjörg Guðmundsdóttir and Eythor Gudjonsson

According to KCC Entertainment Design, the Belgian company that specialises in FECs, the initial design was only started back in April 2011, with construction beginning on site in June. Enjoying a strong co-operation with KCC was the

Eythor Gudjonsson with Yannick Maes from KCC

Rides and

attractions KCC tailored the attraction mix at Skemmtigardurinn for the local market, with an eye to something for everyone, from toddler and kids to teenagers and adults. The lower floor includes eye-catching attractions such as SBF/Visa’s Midi Dance Party 360° and kids’ drop tower, a soft play area, Comfyland experience, IE Park bumper cars, and a“7D” XD Theater from Trio Tech, the venue’s highest earning attraction. Upstairs, guests can enjoy games galore including a laser tag area, video and redemption games, billiard tables, darts and Highway 66 mini bowling.

panning two floors of Reykjavik’s largest shopping mall, Skemmtigardurinn opened after a very tight design and construction period.

SBF-Visa group, which supplied two rides including the Midi Dance Party 360°, which occupies a prominent position in the FEC. This beautifully lit 13-metre-tall attraction narrowly misses the shopping mall’s roof, providing an exciting experience for both rides and spectators. “At first view it always makes visitors gasp,” notes SBF-Visa’s Tommy Frison. Located in an empty part of the Smaralind mall previously used for events, large crowds gathered for the opening of Skemmtigardurinn back in November as owners Ingibjörg Guðmundsdóttir and Eythor Gudjonsson, former actor and national handball champion, were joined by the Icelandic minister of tourism and industry.

“We live in a rather cold climate so we thought it would be great to open an indoor FEC,” Gudjonsson tells Park World. “There are not many other parks or FECs in Iceland and most of them are small.” Covering 2,300 square metres, the new FEC features a family-orientated mix of attractions immersed in a jungle theme. Inside this tropical, air- conditioned environment visitors may even forget they are in one of the world’s most northerly countries! “We themed the FEC as a jungle because we wanted our customers to experience something totally different when they walk in,” notes Gudjonsson. Iceland has gone through some tough times in the last three years so and we wanted to create the ambitious, exotic venue that Icelanders deserve to have.” “We are aiming at attracting two-thirds of the Icelandic nation,” continues the FEC’s owner. “It is a quite small market since there are only 320,000 people living in the country, however Icelanders tend to be high spending consumers and we are ranked number one in the world for cinema per capita. So far the FEC has been very successful.